1941 GMC Panel Truck - Candy Apple Panel

Inspiration can come when one least expects it, and from unlikely places. Take David Favorito and his '41 GMC panel truck for example.

1/8

"It all started 31 years ago," recalls David. "I went to the beach with a friend, saw this truck, didn't know what it was, but I loved it. It was for sale for $2,300. I didn't have the money but I knew I had to have it. I returned three weeks later and it was still there but the price on the "For Sale" sign was covered up. I knocked on the door of the house and no one answered. Just as I was leaving, this little kid rode up on his bike and asked if I was looking for the owner of the truck. I told him yes and he answered that he [the truck owner] was moving to Lake Tahoe tomorrow and that he couldn't take it with him. Jackpot! As soon as I got home I called the owner and worked out a deal with him."

The next morning David picked up the truck and drove it home, sans brakes; an interesting trip, as one could imagine.

David used the panel as his daily driver for a number of years until one day he decided it was time to tear the truck down and rebuild it from the ground up. The first step was to take the truck down to Nor-Cal Metal Stripping in Windsor, California, for a quick dip in the acid bath. From there, it was off to Joe Brusaschetti's shop where Joe and fellow metal man "Hoop" plied their trade to every square inch of the Jimmy. Hidden hinges, remote door pops, modified driprail, and a new rear roll pan are all items that received the duo's attention. Up front, the hood was molded into one piece, with the ability to open from either side thanks to a Dan Fink kit, while the grille was completely reworked. Other custom items include the V-butt windshield, frenched headlights, shaved parking lights, and '40 Chevy parking lights reworked to function as the taillights. From there, the body was sent over to Jason Haskin's shop in Roseville, California, where the House of Kolor Candy Apple Red paint was applied.

While the body was out getting painted, Ron Attebury and Joe Brusaschetti decided to sort out the chassis. The rails were boxed before a Total Cost Involved Mustang II IFS kit with 2-inch dropped spindles and disc brakes was installed. Out back, a Currie 9-inch rearend hangs off of parallel leaf springs. Weld Tomahawk 15-inch billets reside at all four corners, wrapped in BFGoodrich rubber. Powertrain responsibilities for the panel come in the shape of a 383ci stroker small-block Chevy V-8 wearing aluminum fast-burn heads topped by an Edelbrock intake and a Holley four-barrel carburetor backed by a 700-R4 transmission with a Lokar shifter. Dress-up items including Billet Specialties finned air cleaner and "smoothy" valve covers, a chrome one-wire alternator, and an A/C compressor round out the engine compartment.

2/8

Once the chassis was sorted and the body freshly sprayed in that deep Candy Apple Red, the GMC was shipped over to Finish Line Interiors in Santa Clara, California, where Byron Robeck wrapped every square inch in tan leather and ginger ultrasuede, including the Glide bench seat. A subdash was fabricated to house the climate controls, vents, ignition, and headlight switches while in the stock gauge opening resides a billet aluminum panel filled with a quintet of Dakota Digital gauges. Under the dash sits a polished tilt steering column topped with a Billet Specialties steering wheel wrapped to match the interior.

What began as an innocent trip to the beach transformed and turned into a 31-year-long dream for David Favorito. From the messy hulk David barely made it home in to the daily driver that served him for a number of years to the multi award-winning (Fresno Autorama Invitational, Best Under Construction, Best Truck, Best Interior) finished version seen right here on these very pages, David's dream of breathing new life into the '41 GMC has been fraught with hard work, dedication, and lots of waiting. But with the help of those involved in the build, including Gary and Nancy at Reliable Plating, Mike and Joe at Center Paint, Nor-Cal Metal Stripping, Sherm's Plating, and the '34 Store, David's dream was made a reality. And it's one that he enjoys every chance he gets.